The Salt Path

Winn makes her political and social views clear throughout the memoir. This becomes obvious, for example, when the pair interact with military figures and Raynor wonders what they would have died for if they die. In another instance, they see a father harshly scold his son on the beach and decide to leave, disapproving of the father’s physical aggression. Winn’s most enduring commentary throughout The Salt Path is reserved for issues related to homelessness and living on the margins.

The text includes various reactions to life on the margins. Most of this comes from experiences that Moth and Raynor have through being discriminated against by people who judge them. The strain their situation puts on their relationships with close friends is also clear. No matter how generous friends are, they feel like financial burdens in the end. This is the case with Polly in Part 5. She does her best to support them, but Raynor also clearly feels that the dynamic of their relationship has strained, as she believes that Polly sees her “as a tenant who paid no rent” while Polly maintained “a life that represented everything her friend had lost” (211).